To Be Oneself
by xxxMissAlicexxx
Summary: The freedom to be yourself is difficult to obtain, especially if you're suppose to be a proper lady searching for a noble blood husband. But this prince seems...different, he's accepting everything there is about her. Is it because her face resembles someone's or is it something more? Mystwalker. Slightly AU
1. Chapter 1

**My first multi-chapter Mystwalker story~ I hope you guys enjoy this, and I'm sorry if the chapters are short. I don't own Fairy Tail. **

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Once there was a girl who longed to be a knight to serve her beloved home country. However, she was raised with strict traditions. She was never to pick up a sword. She was meant to be a perfect, obedient wife; this was her destiny deemed by her family. But no matter how much her father had forced her to learn dance, etiquette, and other skills benefiting a wife, she could not stray away from the sword. She learned her skills by herself, without the help of her elder brother or other family members. If they found out, they would only imprison her further into a mask that did not belong to her.

There was something addicting to swordplay, to fighting, to the thrill of being able to protect that she could not free herself from. Perhaps it was the fact that she could prove her strength. Perhaps it was because a knight had suited her much more than the title of a simple noblewoman. Perhaps it was because she felt truly like herself when she held those weapons in her hands.

It was a shame, her movements were as graceful as a dancer's and yet as strong as a man. It was a shame that she had to hide such talent away from the world. If her family were to see her like this, would they envy her for her skills? Or would they be filled with shame? After all, her late mother's dearest wish was for her only daughter to have a loving husband of a high status so that she may live in leisure for the rest of her life with children to carry their blood. A strong willed girl who wields weapons is not proper for a wife. So all she can do is be their proper child. Well, to an extent.

"Erza! What have you done to your suitor this time?" an angry man asked as he slammed the door open to his daughter's quarters.

"Father, if you continue to yell like that your health will be in danger," the girl reminded him coldly as though she's done nothing wrong. Technically, she _hasn't _done anything wrong, by her standards.

"Don't speak to me like that young lady! What have you done to Count Neville's son?"

"Oh, that pathetic excuse for a male? He asked me what my favorite activities were and I properly answered him like how I was taught father," she told him as she had a smug smirk with what had recently happened. It was so enjoyable to see the man squirm as she told him about her love for violence and horror novels. Seeing him blanch in fear was amusing. He was far too weak for her tastes.

"Erza, you are meant to bring respect to the Knightwalker name, meaning that you do not frighten your suitors! Do you understand?"

"He was utterly pathetic, Father. Not worth to be called the fearsome General Knightwalker's son-in-law. Wouldn't having him, even if he is of noble blood, be further embarrassment to your name?" Though her words are rather cruel, she does prove a point. Erza is to find the best man suited for the Knightwalker family, that is what she decided a long time ago. That is how she will show her respect to her family despite the fact that they oppress her freedom. "Besides, the son of an only recently added noble is also an insult to our bloodline, no?"

The man sighed in defeat. "I suppose you do prove a point... Go to your studies, I expect you to improve your penmanship by dinner."

"Yes, Father." Everyday it's like this. Erza wakes up and dresses with an uncomfortable corset, a stuffy dress, and an itchy wig (because her scarlet colored hair was not 'proper' despite the fact that it was her mother's hair color) to go to her morning tutors. She meets a suitor after lunch. She somehow gets them to go away after an hour or so, then she is chewed out by her father or one of her governesses. And now, she is to continue to improve on 'lady-like' skills until dinner. The same as her boring everyday routine.

It is at times like this that she looks out her window and in the distance she can see the town and castle where her elder brother was. Simon Knightwalker was often at the castle along with her father for training the militia. He rarely came home, that is why she envied her brother so much. He could do as he pleased because he possessed the freedom and the right to do so. She was just a caged bird meant to breed, never to leave the nest. Anyone could replace her and that was what upset her so much. She wanted to be more than a wife and a mother.

But there's not one person who would allow her to pursue such fate.

Erza sighed. It was at times like this where she enjoyed going into the forest in order to train her body. Erza jumped down from the window, after dismissing the outer, most uncomfortable layer of her dress and shedding the black wig from her head. 'Much better...' she thought in relief. There was one place in the forest where she could be herself and it is where she was able to show her power without any restraints. Her hunting grounds. After all, there are many interesting animals lurking around.

Her weapon is an old spear which her Father abandoned, even though it was a wonderful weapon, the Ten Commandments. Absolutely wonderful to pierce through the hearts of the creatures she hunted down with such grace. As a rather large salamander fell to the ground, she smiled in satisfaction. It felt wonderful to get some exercise! However that smile soon disappeared when her ears heard a rustling within the brush.

"Who's there?" she demanded. When hearing no reply, she threw the bloody spear and heard something or someone moving. Erza quickly ran towards where her spear landed. Nothing was in sight. The girl grew irritated, from not being able to feel the presence, but soon became worried with returning home. It was beginning to be late and she didn't feel like having her ear chewed out by her father again.

At the dinner table, her Father had told her, "Erza, tomorrow you will visit court." Erza raised a fine eyebrow in questioning. She steers clear from that place for several reasons."The Prince seems to be arriving tomorrow. As a member of this family, I believe you should greet him with respect while your brother and I are in the mist of training."

"I have no interest in the Prince, Father," Erza stated, knowing what the general was implying. A good friendship further ensures the position for the family and a marriage will bring glory to their name. "Besides, brother dearest can spare time from his schedule."

"Erza, that is not the point. Tomorrow there will be several young ladies in court who possess an example that I should see you following. Think of it as a mission to improve your skills as a noblewoman."

Though it had sounded like a suggestion, Erza knew that it was a command. Perhaps the elder Knightwalker was tried of having to find a new marriage partner for his... unique daughter. The easiest way would be for her to change herself, it seems. "But of course, Father. I will do my best to not cause shame towards the Knightwalker name." And that was that.

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** Please review, I would like to hear your opinions on this. Oh and a head's up, this story should be around 8-10-ish chapters probably, so not that long but not that short either.  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and are following this story. It really means a lot. ^_^**

**To 'maya'-san: Thank you for your review. There are a few AU oneshots for Mystwalker, such as 'free candy', 'What's Your Motive', 'Edolas High School' (which is multi-chapter), and 'Hidden Feeling', which are all much better than this story in my opinion.  
**

**Thanks again and I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. I don't own Fairy Tail.**

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Erza looked out of the carriage as it passed through the town. So many people where there, not paying the slightest attention to her. It's because they knew that many nobles would visit the Prince of the day of his arrival. "Stop looking so gloomy," her governess scolded. "You are visiting the Prince, the least you can do is put on a smile."

"As though that could make anyone happy," Erza stated, looking out the carriage to see people her age and younger, being able to do as they pleased within the boundaries of the town. How nice for them, they are able to do as they please. It must be nice to not have noble's blood. "Reina, are you planning on leaving me there?"

"Yes milady. I have a few errands to do myself, so please be sure to behave properly in order to not tarnish your family name," Reina reminded as the carriage stopped.

"Yeah right," she snorted before she walked down from the carriage.

"Don't forget about language, Erza-sama. You will be among others who will not hesitate to cut their ties to the Knightwalker family."

"Let them try." Erza knows that she'll be allowed to play around with them. After all, her family has served the royal family since the beginning of the country. The Knightwalker family is not a household that will simply be crushed by a few measly families who all keep disgusting secrets.

"Grace, not grimace, milady." Erza sighed. She's tired of hearing of such things and it's not even noon. As she stepped down from the carriage, she took in the details of the strange castle. Can people really live in this place? It looks big enough to fit an amusement park.

A young girl who introduced herself as Coco had been giving her a tour of the castle and it was extremely boring, but Erza took in as much detail as possible to find an escape route that would lead her to anywhere besides the courtroom. "Then over here-"

"Excuse me, but I would like to know where the training grounds are."

"Eh? But-"

"I simply wish to see my brother after so long," Erza stated. But in reality, she really wanted to see the weapons room and learn some new techniques from the training. "His name is Simon."

"Ah, so you're Simon's sister? I've always wanted to meet you!" Coco told the older girl excitedly. "I'll show where he is, Simon should still be in training and Captain Knightwalker should be in a meeting."

"I see." On the inside, she was smirking. What a perfect situation. Her father was busy and her brother was

"So then your name is Erza-sama?"

"Yes."

"I've heard about you before, you're said to be one of the most cruelest and cunning women to ever live. Apparently Count Neville was complaining about your reaction to his son courting you. Then someone else was mentioning you as the only person who's beaten them in chess."

"Chess? Oh, the Baron of Oracion." He's a smart man, but when that defense is broken, his moves are easy to read. Now as much as she could say that, she knew she would get another earful from her dearest father and other unpleasant things could happen. "Luck was on my side that day."

"But I've also heard that you don't believe in luck or fate or anything like that," Coco replied, wondering if the rumors she's heard were wrong.

"Hey, are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Eh?" Coco looked around and noticed that she's accidentally lead Erza into the amusement park. "Ah, I'm sorry! I was just thinking that it'd be really nice to ride a roller coaster!"

"Roller coaster?"

"It's like a train, but it's much faster and it's a lot of fun and- Ah, I'm sorry for getting carried away, I'll take you to meet Simon right away," she apologized with a bow.

Well, at least with a girl like this around, things won't be so boring. "Tell me Coco, have you heard anything about the Prince?"

"Are you interested in him as well, Erza-sama?"

"Just Erza is fine. I'm not particularly interested in him, however my father seems to want me to meet him," she explained, trying to hide her disgust. She haven't even met the guy and already things like this were happening. "So you haven't met this Prince either?"

"I have not. The Prince has been studying aboard for the past few years, so I don't know a thing about him. Ah, we'd better hurry or else the Prince will come and you won't be able to see Simon!" For a rather forgetful girl, Coco is an extremely fast runner. They made to the training grounds in record time. "Simon!"

"One second!" The large and muscular man cut down his opponent without fail. "Zeke, your form's improving, but try not to forget about power." He turned around, not expecting to see. "Erza? What are you doing here?"

"Let's see... I'm in need of money because I got into some business with the shark loans... and what do you think I'm here for besides to fulfill Father's orders of becoming a proper noblewoman?"

"Oh, lessons about being a lady again? Try not to die."

"I'll kill them first," she promised.

"Hey Simon, who's that?" a boy with purple haired asked. "Your sister or something?"

The other man who wore pink said, "Hm... You two certainly don't look alike, but she's quite the looker."

He touched her hair, even though it was fake, Erza still felt disturbed with someone's hand that close to her face. "Don't touch me," she commanded.

"Hm... Quite feisty as well."

"Don't do that. My Father says that she looks more like my mom's side of the family while I take more after him," Simon explained. "Anyways Erza, shouldn't you go right now? You'll be late and you should always be punctual."

If if was anyone else, they would have thought it was a kind reminder. However, Erza knew that wasn't the case. Simon wanted her to leave, to not embarrass him further. "I suppose so," Erza agreed. "Coco, please show me where the court room is."

"Yes ma'am!"

"I'll take my leave, Simon. Show your face at home once in a while." As soon as Erza left, another figure appeared. He was looking at the back of such an interesting girl. His days certainly weren't going to be a bore if that girl was around. Erza stopped suddenly. She felt a chill.

"Erza? Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing." What was that?

Erza sighed, just minutes after she entered the throne room. These people are proper nobles? It's extremely unlikely, but she can't be one to judge because of her enjoyment of other people's torture. Though... If they're all squealing over this man, who she's never seen, men included, that can't be considered the proper etiquette for one of noble rank. Let's hope this day will end quick.

The horns rang out and Coco announced with a bow, "Please welcome, the sole heir to the throne of Edolas, Prince Jellal."

Erza, like all the other kneel as soon as he stepped out from the shadows. The first thing that could be seen was bright blue hair, it was like a sky blue. Then the tattoo that graced his face, which proved that he was a member of the royal family. Then his eyes... They had a strange look to them that she could not decipher. "Please stand. I am grateful that you regard me with this kind of respect. It's been a while since I've been in Edolas, so please help me in regards to several things."

"Of course Prince!"

"It'd be our honor." And several things among those lines were spout out, but Erza remained quiet. How... annoying. There's something in his presence that she disliked, but she couldn't tell where or why.

Everything was progressing quickly. People were introducing themselves to the Prince, but Erza paid no attention. Exactly how was obsessing over a boy lady-like? Her father should at least make up a decent excuse for having her come to court. Though the cake offered was tempting, but they were out of her favorite strawberry so she had to get lemon, her second favorite.

"Well, well you've certainly outwitted me in chess! Fine game, Prince! Fine game indeed!" Erza gave a small scoff. True, she was slightly interested in the game, but isn't he overpraising him? He just barely won. Ugh... How tiring.

Erza stood up to go look for the weapons room. It'd be far more interesting there than in here. But before she could, "Excuse me, Lady Knightwalker."

If it was any other noble, she would be fine, but it just had to be _him. _How exactly did he figure out her name when she had done nothing to be noticed? It's not like she's introduced herself to him, but perhaps that's why he noticed her. Erza turned around, bowing slightly. "Yes, Prince?"

"I've heard of your chess skills from the Baron of Oracion when he had visited me abroad once. Would you care for a game, Lady Knightwalker?"

Let's see, get her ear chewed out and rumors to spread about her, or play one game of chess? Well, it's not like see needs to try. "If his highness wishes to play, I am honored to be a player in the game."

"Excellent. Black or white?"

"Black," she answered, sitting across from him. He took the first move and she followed suit. The pieces moved around and were being taken off the board. Spectators were impressed with both sides, however more wished for the Prince to win this little game.

"You're quite impressive, Lady Knightwalker. No wonder the Baron of Oracion holds you in praise."

"Is that so? I don't think I did anything praiseworthy," she stated calmly as she took the white rook off the board. Somehow along the way, she got serious in playing.

"Well, being a member of the Knightwalker family is something to have praise of."

"I suppose, however those are the accomplishments of others in my household, they are not the accomplishments that I myself have achieved. I merely carry the same blood as them." Whispers began to go around, none kind towards the girl. She's strange, she's not the same as they are. Erza could hear them perfectly and quite frankly, they were just buzzing bees to her. As long as her family's honor remains untarnished, all is fine.

"Checkmate," he stated once he took her king.

"Good game, Prince." In her mind she sighed from relief; it's finally done.

He smiled. "It was enjoyable on my part as well Lady Knightwalker. Would you like-"

"Forgive me for intruding your highness, however Captain Knightwalker is requesting the presence of his daughter," Coco informed, interrupting Jellal in mid-sentence.

"Well, there's my call. Please excuse me and thank you for an interesting game, Prince." Erza bowed and left the prince who had a satisfied smirk on his face. Something's wrong with that guy. Erza was escorted into her father's office. "Is something wrong, Father?"

"I heard that you visited your brother earlier." Erza raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking? You came here to learn of how to be a proper lady!"

"Proper?" she scoffed out. "Please, the 'ladies' here are nothing short of kiss ups who will stop at nothing to gain the attention of a prince." They were emerged in a glaring contest, and it had only broke off when General Knightwalker was called to a meeting.

"I've called for Reina to come and pick you up. You're going home this instant."

"And why is that when I've done nothing but play a game of chess?"

"Because I said so." Ah... the answer that all parents say at one point in their life. Can't they even think of a decent excuse?"

"Very well." Erza wanted to get out of the place anyways. Court isn't any fun. Not when boring people and unsophisticated nobles were there. Honestly, how could anyone stand being there?


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank** **you all for your support for this story on the previous chapters. Here's the next chapter, I hope you guys enjoy it. I don't own Fairy Tail.**

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"Milady, a visitor has arrived to greet you." Erza's ears perked up at hearing the news, however she can't help but feel...annoyed. Visitors that came here, were one of two kinds of people. One, they were an attempting suitor trying to win the heart of the only daughter of the Knightwalker family, in other words, her. Or they were one of her father's underlings who came to bring information to the general if he happened to be at home.

"Who is this visitor?"

"A messenger from the royal court," a feminine voice replied, a voice that Erza hadn't heard before. At the doorway, there was a small child with silver hair. "At least, that's the title for this errand that I've been sent on."

"And you are?"

"My apologies, Lady Erza Knightwalker. My name is Faye, I'm a friend of Prince Jellal's," she introduced herself with a curtsy. But that didn't make Erza any less queasy about this visitor, especially considering that she was a friend of the Prince. "I came to deliver a letter for the good lady from the prince himself by his very hand."

"Why would His Highness go out of his way to write this to me?" It certainly wasn't written by any of the previous people who's sent her a letter, and the seal was the personal mark of the prince. The letters were beautiful, more so than her own penmanship; was this really a male's handwriting? It was an invitation for tea... What the heck? Wouldn't you just get a servant to write that?

"May I give my personal opinion or no?"

"No," Erza stated bluntly since she could sense that the answer would most likely disturb her.

"Then, I have absolutely no answer as to why he would do that. I'm also meant for you to send him your answer. Will you attend tea, Lady Knightwalker?"

Erza thought about it. If she said yes, then she'd probably be the envy of most women and strange rumors would arise trying to threaten her. Though, her family would be pleased for her to spend time with royalty. On the other hand, if she said no, that could lead to a lot of problems if she has to go to court again, and then there could be problems when she sees her father and brother...Just one time won't kill her right? After all, this is for the honor of the Knightwalker family. "Please thank the Prince for his kind invitation. I'd be happy to go on... tomorrow."

"Excellent. Jel- I mean the Prince will be delighted to hear that you accepted."

That mistake was not unheard by Erza. "Do you call the Prince by his first name?" she inquired. That was... strange even if she was a friend of the Prince's. From what she remembered, no matter how close one was to royalty, titles were always used and there were hardly any exceptions.

"Yes, actually. He prefers being called by his name rather then a title," she explained. Huh... That was... kind of weird. Wouldn't most people enjoy having a high-class title to be addressed by? "Good day, Lady Knightwalker. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

"You'll be joining us?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. But I will certainly be around. Until tomorrow, Lady Knightwalker." The girl curtsied and disappeared from her sight. Erza could feel something strange creeping up through her chest. Why does she get the feeling that something will go wrong tomorrow?

"This is an excellent opportunity for you to redeem yourself in front of the Prince and gain a better reputation of yourself for the sake of this family," is what her father told her the morning right before she left. "Be sure to not bring any dishonor."

"But of course Father, I will be on my best manners," she promised to her father. She understood where he was going with that statement, she did admit that it was a good idea, and she did give her word that she would behave, but...

Despite that... this really feels like an awkward situation. Having tea with the Prince... If she were a normal, kiss up noble who wanted to be bethroned to the Prince, this would be a fine situation, however she was anything but that.

"Is something not to your liking, Lady Knightwalker," he asked with courtesy. "Something can be made to be more suited to your tastes."

"No, everything is delicious." Except the tarts had been overcooked, the cake was slightly stale, and the tea needed to steep for about another minute or so, but she couldn't really complain. Her head could have been cut off. "I would," she began to get his attention. "Like to know why is it that you've invited me here, alone." Erza expected at least 2 other people, men for the prince to actually talk to while she was there simply as a pretty decoration.

"Well, you left earlier to other day, so I thought that I'd get to know you better today," he answered with a strange smile. "The other people who were so gracious to visit me were.. extremely excited to tell me a thing or two about themselves."

"I see. Well, there's nothing interesting that I have to say about myself. Besides, if you ask around, many people would consider me cruel and sadistic." In other words, why should I tell you when there's plenty of other people who can give you answers?

"But that is their opinion, not your own, Lady Knightwalker. I'm curious as to who you believe you are, with your own words."

His answer was considerate, more so than she would give him credit for. This person certainly had an accepting personality for others didn't he? "So? You are not me, so you cannot understand the way that I look at myself. What good is it to know anything about a person when words can be misleading? Unless you actually be around the person long enough to be able to know them."

Instead of becoming discouraged as she would have liked, he smiled. "You're interesting, Lady Knightwalker. I applaud you for that."

"Please stop calling me that title, it's rather annoying."

"And why is that?" he questioned with curiosity in his eyes.

"Lady Knightwalker is my mother's title and will remain that way until my brother inherits the title of General Knightwalker from my father. Then the title will be pass down to his wife. I am not and will never be 'Lady Knightwalker'," she explained. She instantly regretted every word that spilled from her mouth. And here, she was suppose to behave!

"Then may I call you Erza?" She nodded with slight shock in her eyes. No one who called her that, asked for her permission to use her first name. Normally she had to say something first, or it would be her family members and many people are afraid of getting on good terms with her because of her 'unique' personality. "So I can ask you questions and you'll answer?"

"Do what you wish."

He smiled. "Then would you mind calling me by my first name when we're not around nobles or family members?" he requested. "I believe Faye mentioned that she told you of my dislike of titles."

"She did." Ugh, this tea has far too strong a scent for her tastes. "So what do you enjoy to do, Erza?"

"Read of people's abuses and haunting," she answered bluntly."It's so enjoyable to run as someone is slowly being murdered with their blood falling from their pitiful bodies."

"Is that so?" he asked kindly with a gentle smile on his face. Erza looked at tad shocked. How was he not creep out? "Personally, I enjoy the mystery horror genre, but those books are good once in a while as well."

He continued to ask questions about herself, her daily life, and people that she knew, but Erza got annoyed to the point where she asked, "Is there a point to these questions, Prince?"

"Well, I'd like to get to know more about you Erza," he stated, acting like he wasn't doing anything wrong. Technically he wasn't, but something just felt wrong.

"And why would you want to?"

"Because I'm curious about you. When I returned the other day, you weren't anything like all the others trying to get on my good side, you're quite an interesting person."

"I'll state my position, since you don't look like the type to squeal," she said suddenly, to not give him the wrong idea. "The sole reason why I'm here is because if I didn't go, my ear would be chewed out by General Knightwalker. I have no interest in- Why are you laughing?"

"Sorry." Then he burst out into laughing once more.

"Why are you laughing!"

"You're truly one-of-a-kind Erza. I don't think I've met anyone who's quite like you." Erza blushed from embarrassment and his 'compliment'. How dare he make fun of her!

"Jel-chan, stop teasing the poor child or you'll be hit," Faye told him as she brought in a new tray of cakes. "Here's some more cakes and sandwiches, they're fresher than the ones that you've been snacking on."

"But I'm complimenting her," he stated innocently.

"Not really," Erza muttered, taking a fresh strawberry cake which was by far, better than the ones that they have been given. Jellal gave a sad look which caused Erza to yell, "Don't act like you're the victim!"

"You really are an interesting person, Erza," he told her once more with a chuckle. She's far more interesting than he had anticipated. Erza frown and bit into the cake. How annoying, why did people enjoy being around him when he was like this? "You look upset Erza."

"Thanks to you!"

"You know, you can call me by my given name, I don't have a problem with that," he mentioned with a mischievous smile.

"You are really pissing me off, you know that?" But it's been so long since she's acted like... herself. That girl who cursed and spoke for her, not for the Knightwalker household. To speak her own mind without any restrictions was wonderful, it was like... freedom. A sense of freedom that she had only experienced while she beared her spear. It was... amazing.

"I'm glad to know that." A soft knock on the door was heard. "Come in."

A maid appeared and bowed. "Excuse me for interrupting, Prince, however a governess called Reina is requesting for the presence of Lady Knightwalker. It appears that she had come to escort the good lady home."

"Thank you for informing us, I will take care sending her off myself." His smile caused the young maid to blush and quickly exit the room with a red face. Erza glared at the door in distaste. How could someone act that much like a fan girl? "So will you come for tea again after this?"

"...Only because I have to by my father's orders..."

"I'll be happily waiting for your arrival," he proclaimed with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for your support on the last chapter. I hope that this chapter is interesting as well. I don't own Fairy Tail. Please enjoy and review if you have time.**

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"The book that you recommended was certainly interesting, but I feel as though some of the wording could have been changed," Jellal mentioned to the girl in front of him who was shocked that he even bothered to read that murder mystery book which was nothing short of gruesome. "There were better ways to truly give off that blood-cold feeling that the author wanted to convey."

She really couldn't believe that he read the entire thing, most people think it's just a book about murder and refuse to even look at the mystery to it. "How much longer are you going to do this?"

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Why is it that every week this month you've invited me to tea? Most people get tired of my presence at this point," Erza stated. "What exactly do you want?"

"Only to be with you, Erza," he answered like a sweet lover. Then a book hit his face and Erza was glaring at him to be more serious. She did hate liars after all. "Okay, so I don't really have that many friends and I find you interesting," he admitted looking truthful. However Erza could believe that her father was a caring father before that.

Erza scoffed. "Tell me a better lie. Others are always wanting to be around you as though you are the heavens themselves."

"Those are only people who want me to do something for them since I'm the one who's inheriting the crown." He sighed and sank down deeper in his chair. "And everyone else doesn't want to get near me because of that reason."

"What about all the people you were friends with while you were studying aboard? There are rumors of you being extremely friendly."

"Those are just rumors. Even then he was antisocial and only talked to me and maybe three other people most of the time. I personally think that you're better in the expertise of socializing, Lady Erza," Faye said, coming into the room with a platter of sweets. "The chef sent these up for you, Jel-chan."

"I was not antisocial, I just didn't particularly enjoy talking!" he defended. Actually, it was because he was shy and not used to people like them. Those people were certainly different than anything that he's encountered before. It was rather refreshing when he finally opened up to them right before he left.

"If you keep lying, then no apple pie." He pouted, Faye glared with all seriousness. Jellal put his head down in defeat. "And that is why you should be truthful," Faye stated as she set down the freshly baked pie. "Then here is your strawberry cake, Lady Erza."

"Thank you," she politely recited. Her father always scold her on her manners, so it became a habit to say 'please' and 'thank you', unfortunately . Erza picked up a forkful of cake and put it into her mouth, savoring the sweet flavors of the cream and the strawberries. This is amazing! Strawberry cake really was amazing. "And stop calling me 'Lady', it's suffocating to hear that."

"So sorry. Then Miss Erza, I've been wondering this since I've seen you, but who do you take after the most in your family?" Erza looked up from her cake with a calculating and wondering look. "You don't really look like your other family members, so I was just curious."

"Everyone in my family tells me that I look more like my mother's side." She has wondered that, but never cared enough to actually bother to research. Besides, whenever she brought the subject up, General Knightwalker would suddenly start yelling, then go beat half the army at swordplay, so she learned to drop the subject.

"But you don't look much like your mother either."

Erza tensed. No one dared to bring up the subject because of her father, so Erza didn't necessarily know how to handle it. "Though it's true, my mother and I don't look alike, how do you know what my mother looks like? She died quite a few years back."

"Oh, that's because I knew Leila-sama and Rufus-sama when we were younger," she explained. "Then does that mean that you don't know who you look like?"

"Do I resemble someone?" Faye smiled and quickly exited the room. "Hey! Answer my question!"

"I'm in the bathroom!"

"No, you aren't!" A flush was heard. Which was strange because there is no bathroom in the hallway. Erza slumped back in her chair. "Do I look that similar to someone?"

"Hm, appearance-wise I'd say yes, but every other part is different," Jellal muttered out, observing Erza.

"You know who she was talking about?"

"A little. Father and most of the older nobles don't like talking about that person. Including General Knightwalker," Jellal explained as he took bites of his apple pie. "I remember him throwing swords at pictures trying to get rid of their image."

"That's interesting to hear. Who is this person?" True, General Knightwalker hated a variety of people, but would never express it that bluntly. Instead he would find more subtle ways of making them suffer. Maybe her dearest father would let her have a little more freedom if she knew about this.

"Hm... I'll tell you, but don't tell anyone else." Erza nodded in agreement. "Have you ever heard of the Scarlet household?" Scarlet... It sounds familiar, but... "I'm pretty sure that was Lady Leila Knightwalker's original family name."

Well, it's not like everyone's dying to tell her of her mother before she got married. A woman doesn't really have much of an existence before marriage in this kingdom. "What does my mother's maiden name have to do with anything? I was told that she was an only child and the sole and approved heir of the family wealth," Erza informed him.

"Looks like no one told you that you have an aunt that looks a lot like you. But her hair is a scarlet color, not black." Then she must really look similar to Erza. "Her name's actually the same as yours, but her full name is Erza Scarlet instead of Knightwalker."

"Hm..." This story sounds kind of interesting, why not listen to it a little more? "What happened to her?"

"Turns out she was banished from the kingdom, never to return and is branded as a traitor to Edolas. Though, she never really betrayed anyone." Which is strange because if she didn't betray anyone, how could she be a traitor? "It was a pride thing between all the parties, but I don't know all the details."

"I see..." After a few more bite of cake Erza finally said, "But no matter what she's considered a traitor by my family and by this kingdom. I should be glad that I don't know her, since she's most likely a stain on the family name."

Jellal's eyes suddenly changed. "Don't say that when you don't know anything about her," he demanded coldly. Erza would have been an idiot not to notice. This 'Erza Scarlet' must be important to him. He must have only wanted her around since she had a similar appearance. Now it all makes sense!

"I see. My apologies," she quickly stated bluntly. They sat in awkward silence until a maid came to announce that Erza's ride was there. "Good day, Prince."Erza sighed from slight relief. Perhaps it's better that she said that. Maybe now he'll stop inviting her to tea. It was getting to be bothersome.

"Aw, look who's upset, did His Highness dump you?"

ERza showed her disgust and annoyance when she heard that voice. Since when was she back in town? "Why are you here, Ultear?"

The dark haired girl smiled. "What? Aren't you happy to see your favorite cousin? And you're still wearing that ridiculous wig. As much as you like black, I think your natural hair color suits you much better, dear."

"Don't you dare call me that." If there were two things that Erza Knightwalker hates the most, it's that she doesn't like the fact that she has to act like a 'proper lady' and it's that her cousin was beyond annoying, she can act like a proper noblewoman enough to get freedom to act however she wants when none of the older relatives are watching.

"Anyways, since I'm back for a while, let's go out and drink tonight, I know a great club-"

"You know that we're no suppose to go to places like that and I don't even enjoy alcohol," Erza fiercely interrupted her 'dear' cousin. All the wine that she's ever had were disgusting flavors that she wish she could forget."Besides, you'd know what would happen if my 'father dearest' found out I went to some club."

"Don't worry, Uncle is going on a trip, so we can do whatever for a week and your brother's going with him so there's no one who can stop us. You have never tried a good cocktail before, and I swear it's one of the most amazing things that you will experience. Now... We're going need to buy you some new clothes so let's go out tomorrow!"

"Why do I need new clothes?"

"Erza, if there are two things that you need to know in this world, it's how to act when you're around different people and that no one in their right mind would go to a club or a normal event the way that you're dressed." Eh... She kind of makes a point, and maybe getting out of these dresses will be the nice change that she's been looking for.

"I refuse to have you chose my clothing," Erza stated.

Ultear smiled almost devilishly. "That's fine with me, but I have to approve of your clothing since I'm more experienced in these matters than you are."

"Whatever."


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry if I kept you guys waiting, but here's the next chapter. Thank you everyone for your support so far, I'll do my best to make this a good story. I don't own Fairy Tail and please leave a review if you have some time. **

* * *

"Erza, wake up," Ultear called out as she opened the door to Erza's room only to find no one in it. "Huh, you'd think that she would wait for me. Go there or stay here?"

Well, even if she goes, Erza wouldn't be happy, since it's been a while since she's done her favorite activities. Her flexibility and precision are as dominating as ever. If only she could show this wonderful power. Erza smiled contently as she speared the bird. It was a shame that she didn't know how to cook it though… Should she give it to the dog in the stables?

A soft rustling from the grass was heard and Erza immediately threw some smaller knives in that direction. "Who goes there?!" Nothing moved and Erza carefully listened with her senses on full alert. Only a second passed and she was able to pinpoint where the person was. "Got you, now explain to me how long you've been there and who you are." Wait a second, isn't that…What the heck in the Prince doing in a place like this?!

"Rest assured, I probably can't take you on, since you have a weapon and I don't," he told her. Despite the fact that he was under her, he was smiling, or should he be smiling? "As much as I love having you on me, do you mind getting off me?" Erza pointed her spear towards Jellal's neck and emitted a murderous aura. "So you're not much of a person who likes jokes, I'd take it. It's a shame; you'll keep getting wrinkles if you keep frowning like that."

"Answer the questions," she demanded.

"Mystogan and I've been watching you for just a couple of minutes. And you are…?"

Why was he lying? But wouldn't he have already noticed her by now? Even if she wasn't wearing that annoying wig, her facial features aren't necessarily common. "Like I'll tell you my name that easily. What are you doing here?"

"Enjoying the forest by taking a peaceful walk," he explained with a laid back air. Well, there's absolutely no doubt in Erza's mind that it was the prince. "And I see that you've been hunting the animals in this forest."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No, but I know a way how to cook that. If you get off me, I'd love to show you." They stared down at each other, him with a smile, her with a scowl, it would have gone on longer, had her stomach not growled. "Are you sure you don't want to?"

"Fine, you win this time," she angrily shouted as she got off of him.

"This time?" 'Mystogan' smirked. "Does that mean there's going to be another time?

Why didn't it surprise her that he had a side like this? Waaiit a second, should a prince even act like this to begin with?! "First you've got to skin the fur and outer coat off." Within moments, the rabbit was prepared for cooking.

"You know more than you look like you know."

"Thanks for the compliment. Here, try it," he said as he handed her a stick of cooked rabbit. Erza ripped a part of the meat off. It was chewy, but mostly cooked and not completely terrible… Is this really a skill a prince should possess? True, it's helpful, but he doesn't need it, so why would he have it? "How does it taste?"

"Passable."

"I'm glad to hear that." His smile was so bright and satisfied, it was annoying; time to break the liar.

"So why are you here? Most people don't take a walk in a forest this early in the morning because the forest is known to be somewhat dangerous and many people avoid it. Also, why do you look so familiar to someone? It's like you're the same person. From your hair color to the shape of your tattoo," Erza mentioned critically. But the man in front of her didn't show any signs of hesitation or anxiety.

"Is that so?" What was with his creepy smile? "Perhaps" he took her hand while she froze into a statue from his movement, "We've already met before in your dreams, and now it's fate that here together. Maybe this is fate's way of allowing us to be together since we've felt like we've met before."

Such cheesy lines! Erza blinked and remembered where she was, quickly taking her hand away from his. "Like heck that's true!" He reminded her of… that weird guy who had a cat that looked exactly like him, well the cousin of that guy who couldn't stop flirting with her for a second when the family visited her house on her father's invitation.

"Aw, don't be shy love."

At her last nerve, she kicked the guy and ran. "Idiot!"

As she ran away in the distant, Mystogan couldn't help but smile. Such an interesting person, but it's too bad that she has to hide all of that away; her beautiful hair, her true personality, and her amazing skills. It was such a waste for all of that to be hidden away. Just because she looks and has the same capability as Erza Scarlet that doesn't mean that she is Erza Scarlet; she's Erza Knightwalker. Why are people too naive to see that? Or are they simply stupid?

"Erza? What's wrong with you?" Ultear asked when she saw Erza slam the door open. "My, your face looks quite strange. Did something happen?"

"You don't need to know," Erza stated coldly as she stomped to her room barefoot, ignoring any maids that dare come in her path.

"Hm? You're not going to have breakfast? Even though it's not fencing or anything, shopping with me on an empty stomach is disastrous," Ultear shouted as a warning. It is true, the last tune someone went shopping with her never wanted to leave the house again for any kind of shopping. That includes grocery shopping, weapons shopping, book shopping, etc. Once more she called out, "Erza?"

"I already ate something!" Erza yelled back. She collapsed on her bed feeling tired. There's still plenty of time left in the day, so why is she so tired? Could it be from dealing with that idiot prince and Ultear? Probably the prince; Ultear hasn't said anything _that _annoying yet.

But why would he be there in the first place? What was the point in him being there?

"Erza, hurry up and get dressed, or I'll just have to pick our clothes for you by myself," Ultear announced loudly.

"I got it! Give me 10 minutes."

"Make sure you don't wear something that fancy or you'll stick out like a sore thumb."

Like she would wear something fancy when she finally has a chance to pick out her own clothes for once; which just shows that her life is just something that is use for the expense of others. Why is it that people like to use others to gain for their own personal gain? After all, she was meant to marry and do nothing else with her life but bear children; why did her mother want such a life for her? Did Leila believe that kind of life would make her happy? If she was a normal noble, then that would be fine, but Erza Knightwalker is anything but a normal noble.

"Let's go, Ultear."

"Yeah- That outfit…"

"Is there something wrong with it?" A blouse and skirt, the most normal clothes that she possessed in that strange closet of hers.

"No, it's just that someone I know wears something similar to that." Erza shot the girl a questioning look; was she just imitating people these days or were people imitating her? "Don't worry about it. Anyways, let's go. We've got a lot of stores to go through since I want to get a new outfit too."

The ride to town was short, they were dropped off right at the edge of town since it was rare to see a horse carriage nowadays. Most people just walked or something. There were many unknown things in town, things that Erza hardly seen; flowers, clothes that weren't covered in frills and lace, rowdy people, and foods that weren't as fancy as the palate that nobles normally desired. As a result of seeing all these new things, her guard went up by 50%.

"Is this normal?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty normal town… Wait a second, does that mean that Uncle still hasn't let you go out on your own for once?" Erza had that blank look on her face which Ultear took as a yes. "Wow and you're 19? Sweetie, you've been missing out on a lot I'll tell you that."

With the type of lifestyle that she's been living what can one expect? Her father rarely listens to her unless the conversation has something to do with the family's honor while her brother's is the exact same of her father. They're such a distant family. "My social life aside, exactly what do you wear when going to a club?"

Ultear smirked. "For you, I'd say something to show off your body would work." She could probably protect herself from perverts with her strength. "Don't worry, I'll help you find some great clothes."

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"It's nothing~"

"If it isn't Ultear?" A familiar purple head came up to them. "It's awesome that you're back in town! And Simon's sister is here too. That is way great, I didn't know that you guys knew each other!" Great now there's another one that she has to deal with. "Sugarboy, look who's here!"

The familiar banana hairstyle emerged once more. "Hm…Who do we have here? The lady of the Knightwalker family and the graceful Ultear Milkovich, I had no idea that you two knew each other."

Erza chose to remain quiet while Ultear answered,"We're cousins. I'd thought that I'd take little Erza out and about while I was here. We're going clothes shopping, right Erza?" Erza nodded, saying nothing. These two men weren't exactly people that she enjoyed to be around. "So, what exactly are you two doing in town? Aren't you busy with your whole army stuff?"

"Nah, we've got a day off for today." Suddenly Hughes snapped his fingers as though coming up with a great idea. "I've got the most amazing idea! How about tonight the four of us go to the regular club for all of us to have a drinking party?"

"Hm… That certainly is an excellent idea Hughes."

"Of course! I come up with the most awesome ideas. Don't forget that Sugarboy. So are you guys in?"

"Maybe. Anyways, Erza and I have some things to do, so we'll see you later. Let's go Erza," Ultear said pulling on her cousin to follow her. "So you met those two before? You looked like you really hated them."

"When I was going to court, I visited Simon and those people just happened to be there. They were annoying, so obviously I don't like them. How do you know them? Were you bar-hopping or something and you met them when you were half drunk, then the 3 of you ended up on a drinking contest leading to the 3 of you passing out."

"Oh good, you really are a 19 year old. I was getting worried for a second." Note: That really did happen when Ultear met Hughes and Sugarboy. They were really drunk afterwards.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Looks like there are still little hints of innocence to her.

* * *

"Prince, all of the preparations are ready for tonight. Please make sure that you don't stand out too much," Coco reminded him.

"Thank you for your hard work, Coco."

"You're very welcome Prince! But may I know something? Where were you this morning? Faye-san said that you were sleeping in because you were practicing your swordplay last night, but when I brought breakfast, you weren't there and when you came back you weren't hungry at all!"

"Oh, I was just out taking a walk," Jellal replied with a smile.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the wait. Getting ready for school isn't fun... and because school is starting, I might be a little late with my updates for this story and my other AU 'Step Forward', so I hope that you guys can be patient with me and I will do my best to keep updating at my normal pace. **

**Now I hope that you enjoy this chapter of 'To Be Oneself', I don't own Fairy Tail. **

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"Erza are you ready yet?" Ultear asked appearing in a tight, but suitable dress. "Oh, those clothes look good on you."

The clothes that Erza brought earlier that day were certainly different from anything that she's worn before. They were tight and more revealing than what she was used to, but comfortable and easy to move in. "This is the first time I've worn something this comfortable," Erza mused. And it's the first time that she's worn shorts that was meant to be seen unlike the panniers that she's worn as a child.

"Isn't it? I like wearing stuff like this more than all of the poufy dresses; it's easier to walk this way. But…" Ultear looked up and down Erza's figure and decided to rip off her black wig. "Yeah, that looks better. If you wear all black, why should you have black hair too?"

"Huh…" It _is_ a lot more comfortable without the wig. As long as she doesn't attract too much attention and her 'dear' father doesn't come back tonight, it should be fine. Yet she still showed her indifference to the situation if one looked at her facial expression.

"Anyways, I know most of the people who go to the bar that we're going to and Sugarboy and Hughes are going to be there too. The place has some of the best beer that you can find and delicious cocktails. They've got two branches; one here and one back in Magnolia where I normally spend most of my time," Ultear explained a little. "Now just so we're clear, what are you going to do if you're hit on by some guy who looks at you like you're a piece of meat?"

"Ultear, this is stupid- "

Ultear repeated herself as though Erza hasn't spoken at all, "What are you going to do if you're hit on by some guy who looks at you like you're a piece of meat?"

Erza grumbled. "Point out some other girl and hope he goes and bugs her or kick him in the balls and run."

"Good. Now what happens if someone tried to take off any piece of clothing that's on you?"

"Kick them in their weak point and go to you, make sure that you're not completely wasted so we can go back," she answered.

"And what if you're-"

"Don't all of these questions have the same answer?" Basically the answers are the same; however there are fine details that one needs to pay attention to. "Anyways, what's the name of this club anyways?"

"Oh its name is Fairy Tail." What a weird name. "Come on. There are plenty of things that we can do, tonight's going to be fun, so smile a little."

"Since when do I like smiling?" So many good questions. Too bad there's no time for them to be answered. Off they go for a new experience for Erza! The maids were bribed and blackmailed by Ultear to keep quiet about this. After all, if this incident got out, she'd be in trouble too, since it's not 'proper' for a lady to hang out at a bar.

"Ultear, you came!" Hughes shouted when she and Erza walked through the door. The bar was old and kind of dirty, but rather had a rather homely feeling despite the fact there were several people humping each other and dancing together like they were having sex. It's certainly not anything like court, she liked that. "Who's this person? Erza didn't come?" Did she really look that different without her wig?

"Actually-"

"No, she's a bit under the weather, so she couldn't come tonight," Ultear interrupted. "So instead I brought my friend, E…Elaine!"

What the heck? "Ultear, let me talk to you for a second."

"Oh, you wanna know which drinks are good. You see, I'd recommend the Paradise cocktail, it's tropical, but rather bittersweet." When they got far away enough from Hughes, Ultear asked, "What's wrong? Is Hughes that much of a bother to you? He's not that bad a guy when you get to know him," Ultear whispered.

"You got to know him while he was drunk and you were drunk. More importantly, who the heck is Elaine? What is the point of giving me a fake name?" Erza harshly whispered back.

"Well, if he finds out that you're Erza Knightwalker, won't it be bad? Since he's around Simon and Uncle so much and add in the fact that he's pretty loose lipped, you might as well be Elaine. Besides, as long as you're not Erza for tonight it's fine." Not Erza… That's insulting isn't it? "Anyways, what drink do you want? Don't worry about the bill."

"Then, start me off with that Paradise cocktail." Might as well get as drunk as possible before someone tries to stop her. She gulped the entire blue cocktail down; enjoying the satisfying feeling it gave her. It was warm, not fizzy, and certainly not anything like the fancy wines that she's tasted before at dinner parties and sweet. "Another drink." The smiling female bartender passed her another of the fruity blue concoctions. Man, was it good!

That's when Sugar boy decided to sit down. Damn it Sugarboy! "So Elaine was it, hm?" Erza didn't say anything as she took another sip. "I don't believe we've met before. My name's Sugarboy. How do you know Ultear?"

"We met at a party…," Erza muttered, wanting the conversation to be over already.

"Rich girl huh… Have we met somewhere before? You look vaguely familiar…"

"No, we haven't met before," she told him bluntly. Even if she gets drunk she should remember to protect her family's honor! It's the only duty she has, besides looking for a husband, that she should be able to complete without fail.

"You sure Miss? You have the same face as someone that I've seen before…"

"I can assure you that's not possible since I've never met you before," Erza stated. Eh… She's a pretty good liar.

"But-"

"I don't think the lady wants to be questioned anymore," another voice said, coming into the converstation. A man fully covered from head to toe appeared, claiming the seat in between Sugarboy and Erza. "By the way, there's a girl who's been staring at you for a while, why not go ask her to dance?" With that Sugarboy left, but Erza's guard remained high. The music was loud and rhythmic so there were always ways to escape.

"And who are you?" Erza inquired. Was there a point for this man to wear so much when it was a rather hot night? Or was it just the alcohol fizzing up inside her?

"Oh, you don't remember me from earlier, Miss? That's mean, you know. We had such a great connection going." He looked hurt, but Erza could see through him. "You, sitting on my chest Then we ate that rabbit that you hunted. Don't you remember all the good times?"

Why the heck is he everywhere she's going today? "Oh… I didn't take you for the type to be in a bar like this." A smirk played around her lips. "So? What's someone like you doing in a place like this? I never expected someone like you to enjoy getting drunk."

"Don't compare me to people you know. Not everyone gets drunk silly-" Erza pointed over his shoulder where there were several drunk people and there were people who were dancing who were drunk. "I just said that you shouldn't compare me to other people."

"Why shouldn't I? People do that to me all the time. Give me a Hangman's Blood," Erza ordered looking at the list of drinks. Was it that hard to gain freedom for herself in this world? "Besides, don't most people who come here drunk until they wake up in the morning with a hangover?"

"That's true, but it's rude to just assume those things about anyone."

"Since when was I not rude? Also, you were acting drunk earlier as well, how can I think differently?" Minutes passed without either side saying a word. The only noises were the loud music in the background and Erza gulping down alcohol that she will regret to have consumed in the morning.

"Those are two different situations. If you drink so much, you'll end up with a terrible hangover." Yet, his point became more unconvincing when he ordered, "Can I get the 'Curtain of the Night'?"

Therefore, Erza thought that it was best to ignore him. "So? The pain eventually goes away, so it's fine," Erza thought out logically.

"Are you an M type?" 'M' as in masochist.

"No, but I'm pretty sure that you are." He spit out his drink, and covered his mouth. He looked like he was in pain, from laughing, but he was smiling. He might as well be an M type. Maybe now would be a good time to leave and go somewhere else.

"Wait a second, "he grabbed her hand, forcing her to stay put. "Isn't it rude to leave without a reason?"

"I thought manners didn't matter in places like this."

"Well then, 'Miss Elaine', you've got some things that you need to learn and would it kill you to say my name? I would think that since we've met earlier, you would at least address me by my given name."

"And what would that be? Mystogan or Jellal?"

He stared at her, then asked, "Is it really that obvious?"

"You're the only one I've met who's like this. Now what the heck do I call you?" It is hard to tell when someone gives you two different names, and then you don't know what to call him when you're drinking together at a bar.

"Mystogan…" His smile was a tad brighter and a tad more meaningful than his previous smile that was shrouded in mystery. "Just call me Mystogan." Why… Why did it seem like he was himself only then? In the times where Erza had to visit him and keep him company, it seemed like he was someone else, but that smile… It wasn't any polite royal facade or anything, it wasn't something that he could pull out automatically like a second nature, and she could tell those things growing up in a 'respected' environment. It looked more real than anything that she's seen.

"Okay, then Mystogan. Wanna have a drinking contest?"

"Since when were you the type to act like your cousin?"

"Since I realized there's nothing else to do in the place expect drink, dance, talk, or make out which will lead to having sex."

"You're forgetting something else." Erza looked at Mystogan like he was crazy or drunk. "Dancing," he stated. She scoffed at his suggestion and downed a Bloody Mary. "What?"

"Is that really how people dance?" she asked pointing to the crowd of bodies.

"There are different styles of dancing, my dear. Or are you as ignorant as the king and other old fashion nobles?"

"I am not ignorant because I choose to be." Mystogan put out his hand in front of her face. "Do you want me to break your hand?"

"No, I intend to show you how to dance not like a lady. Unless you're willing to admit your own defeat." Most sane people know not to challenge Erza Knightwalker, unfortunately, Mystogan's not sane. In seconds, they were on that dance floor. Thankfully for Mystogan, he shed his cloak so that it wouldn't get in his way while they danced. He had some experience from his travels from dancing somehow… Why does he have so many different skills? Surprisingly, Erza could move well too. It looked like she was attacking, but it was graceful in a sense.

"Oh… Looks like she's having fun," Ultear said, as she raised another drink to her lips. Out there wasn't the noble daughter of the Knightwalker family, it was a girl having fun as she should for her age. "How interesting…"

"Give up yet?"

"Not a chance."

He smirked, she smirked. Their bodies moved closer together, as though they needed to get closer. Their bodies were flowing to the timing and rhythm perfectly. The smirks on their faces were a clear indication that they were enjoying themselves. Oh, if only times like this could last.

"Hm… Wouldn't those two be surprised at what these two are doing now?" Ultear whispered happily, half drunk. "If only you bothered to stay Erza, this side of your dear niece suits her better than being a wife who doesn't have a voice." A crash was heard.

"This is why you don't drink that much the first time you go to a bar," Mystogan remind her, whispering in her ear while she was collapsed in his arms. Alcohol, you kick in at weird times...

"I'll take her home," Ultear stated as she walked through the crowd of moving bodies. "Later Mystogan, make sure that you're armed tomorrow, you might die by her hands."

"Noted. Tell Erza that I'll be waiting in my room for her tomorrow like always."

"Of course. Make sure that you make up with her or else I won't let you be her lover," she teased.

"It's not like that!" Ultear left with a smirk, leaving behind a red faced prince.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for everyone who reviewed for the last chapter, reviews make me feel so happy especially since school's not that much fun. Therefore, I present to you the next chapter of To Be Oneself, I hope you enjoy. **

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"Your face color is bad today Prince. Is there a reason why you are getting so nervous, Jellal-sama?" Coco asked innocently as she cleared the plates from his morning meal. "Is someone coming to visit you who you don't want to visit?"

"No, that's not it exactly…" he assured the young girl as he sat in his chair looking like he was suffering from a headache, which he was since he's quite the lightweight.

"Then do you have a headache or feel bad? I could get medicine for you."

"No, I'm fine. You can go now, Coco."

Suddenly Faye appeared out of nowhere and started talking. "Coco, you're right. He's not well at all. This is the image of a fully grown man who's lovesick for a certain girl, but is too embarrassed to tell her his true feelings."

"Is that true? Jellal-sama loves Simon-san's sister?"

"Of course it's true, and moreover-"

"That's enough from both of you," Jellal mentioned as he pushed them out of the room. How that woman knew what he was feeling was beyond him, though it'd probably be less obvious if he didn't think about her and accidentally loose threads of the conversation.

He's certainly interested in her, but he wasn't sure if that could be called love. Maybe it they were just searching for the same thing. Maybe it was because she was so unusually interesting. Maybe it was because she wasn't someone who was purposely trying to get close to him. But no matter how one looked at it, they have the same problems.

"Prince, may I enter? I have a letter for you."

A letter? That was rare. "Yes, of course." The maid walked in and handed him a letter. "Who is it from?"

"I have no idea Prince. It merely has your name on it. "Jellal turned the envelope around to find no traces of the person who sent it. "Oh, and Lady Knightwalker has come for a visit. Shall I let her in?"

"Yes, please. Take her in here like always."

"Understood, Prince." She bowed and exited the room to get the guest. Jellal opened the letter, while he was still in peace, wondering who it could be from. Right when he recognized the familiar handwriting, his eyes scanned down the page quickly as though if he didn't read it fast enough, something bad would happen. Finally, at the end of the letter, there was their typical and familiar signature. He smiled in nostalgia. Finally! "Prince."

Jellal flinched back and hide the letter. "Yes, what is it?"

"I've brought Lady Knightwalker. I shall take my leave."

When the door closed, Erza asked, "So what happened last night after I passed out?" She'll ignore whatever he was hiding for now. "Ultear told me that you carried me off somewhere…" Erza was now emitting a dark aura around her and quite frankly she looked like she was willing to kill in order to receive an answer to her question.

"What? Nothing happened!" he insisted. He should have expected that coming; he knows how Ultear is. Just look at all of the times she's teased him in the past.

"Hm… Fine, I'll believe you. So why did you want me here?"

"I feel as though I'm being interrogated," he pointed out with a light chuckle. But the glare that was being directed towards him, he coughed and went straight on to business. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you something." Erza raised an eyebrow but remained quiet. "I need a sparring partner."

"Isn't that what the knights can do? Why would you want me to be your sparring partner?"

"Well, it's not just my sparring partner, I need to get used to using weapons again since I don't think I can just use a staff all the time in case something happens."

"Again, I say go to the knights. Aren't they better trained than I am?" Besides, they get more practice and she's lucky if she can get out at least once a weak. Every time she goes out she feels rusty.

"I've tried before, but they won't even try against me since I'm the prince, but you on the other hand really don't care about that." That was when Erza began to curse herself for her choice of not acting like a normal noble. "And none of them have the same talent as you do, not even your brother."

"You know how to make a girl feel special don't you? Comparing me to knights who are _supposed_ to be better in terms of fighting," she emphasized. "Besides, as much as I hate Simon, I hate it when people compare the two of us."

"Even when it's a compliment towards you?"

"Just don't mention him in the conversation at all. And how do you expect me to be able to help you? If Simon finds out, then he'll tell my father, and he'll put me in my room until I get married to someone who has the status and influence." And practically everyone knows that Erza Knightwalker cannot get married because she's too scary or she's not 'normal'.

"You don't think I already thought of that? I've got everything covered, so don't worry," he told her. "Come over here," he said motioning towards his book shelf. "It's the 3rd book from the right on the top; just pull on it and…" The bookcase moved to reveal a passageway, "Here's the entrance towards our practice room."

Erza stepped through the doorway and took in the dark hallway in front of her. "I've heard about this stuff in books, but secret passages actually exist?"

"Apparently my grandfather enjoyed exploring so he remodeled the entire castle to have some secret passages," he mentioned leading her down the path. "When you get to the fork in the hallways, make a left."

"What happens if I go right by accident?" Erza inquired.

Jellal said nothing as the next few steps echoed throughout the hallway. "Nothing, it's just a waste of your time and a dead end. Just try not to go right." He's lying. She didn't know how, Jellal was actually good at lying, but from his silence, Erza could understand that there's something more to the right path. Still, she kept quiet. There would be another time to look through there. "And here we are."

The wooden door creaked as Jellal opened it, but Erza was absolutely amazed. It was entirely a room dedicated to fighting. There were weapons on one end, mats for hand to hand combat, and it was large so there was enough room to move as one pleased. "We're going to train in here?"

"Well, you can't like that. Gowns get in the way," he stated. Erza glared, but he just smiled. "So will you help me out?"

"Why do you even want to practice something like this anyways? You seem more of a peacemaker than a fighter."

"Well, it'd be bad for a future king to only rely on his soldiers wouldn't it? Besides, it's been forever since I got a decent fight in," he reasoned. "So will it be a yes or no my lady?"

"I love to fight, but call me 'my lady 'again, I kill you," she decided coolly.

"Got it, Erza." It's really strange how he can accept her like this. She's considered cruel and mean, but he waves it all away like it's no big deal. Tolerance is accepted in a leader, but exactly what makes him so tolerant of her? And people around him are tolerable about him too… "You know Erza, if you stare at me too much, I might just have to do something about that~"

"Shut it, pervert!" Erza shouted as she punched him. Well he's tolerable at least 95% of the time...

"Oh my, were you making a move on her Jel-chan?" Faye asked coming through the door with a pile of clothes in front of her. "Should I go now and leave you to do whatever?"

"It's not like that!" Erza denied.

"Not like what?" Coco asked, suddenly popping into the room as well. Why were the nuisances multiplying?

"Erza, calm down. They're harmless…for the most part," Jellal said, sounding less convincing towards the end. "Anyways, they'll both be helping out to ensure that your father and Simon don't find out about these meetings."

"Yep! We'll do our best to make sure that you and the Prince are comfortable and fall in love properly!" But they've already started to do that and quite frankly, he's uncomfortable whenever someone mentions her name and his relationship to her. It's not like they don't have a relationship, it's just difficult to categorize it because they're friends in a sense, but one side also hates the other, but there's sometimes more than friendship, so it's confusing.

Within the blink of an eye, Erza grabbed a sword and pointed it towards Coco, who was on the floor with obvious fear in her eyes. "There is a limit that I have with people's jokes, so do your best not to push that limit," Erza requested/commanded.

"So-Sorry…"

"Now, now, don't fight with each other," Jellal requested. "You'll be seeing a lot more of Coco Erza, especially since she will be handling these duties on her own for a while. Try not to kill her in the process or else I'm not sure I can cover up a murder."

"And where are you going?" Erza asked with suspicion rising in her throat.

"Me? I've got to go wrap up a couple of things, so I won't be in for a bit," Faye explained. "But rest assured, if something happens, I'm sure that Jel-chan can fix it." Erza did not let her guard down with just that. There's something weird going on, but what exactly?

"Now that that's all cleared, why don't we start?"

"First, you need to get out Jel-chan, so Erza-san can get changed," Faye stated obviously, pushing him out. "Make sure you don't peek! I know what kind of influence that Redfox has been having on you. You'd think that he would have been more embarrassed, but he really is like an iron dragon."

"I don't even know Gajeel that well!"

"Just don't peek Jel-chan. Erza-san, make sure you pick out something comfortable so you can move in it easily," Faye called out before going out of the room to keep Jellal company.

"We made sure not to include any skirts," Coco informed. "I think that purple suits you well, Erza-sama."

Erza looked at the huge pile of clothing. She never particularly liked purple, not that she liked other colors any better, especially the lighter one. They always remind her of the itchy dresses that she was forced to wear as a child and whenever some suitor was visiting her. "Do you have anything black?"

"Yep, let me just find that for you." Erza wanted to scratch her head, which still had the black wig on top of it, but she restrained herself for some reason since it felt unsightly. Debating about it for a moment, she took off her wig, allowing her blood colored waves to fall down. She gave a sigh of relief in her mind. It always felt better without the wig. "Erza-sama, here it is."

Erza held out the clothing. It was similar to the clothes that she wore to the bar, but a tad more revealing, not that it mattered to her. Those clothes were so much easier to move around in. Quickly, she changed into the clothes, enjoying the feeling of not having to deal with the obstruction of a long skirt. "Coco, why are you doing something like this?"

"Like what? Assisting the Prince is my job."

"You are close to my brother and his acquaints, are you not?"

"I'm sorry, Erza-sama, but I don't think I understand your point. While I am close to Simon-san and the other generals, I don't see the point in telling anyone that you're training with the Prince. You're free to do as you wish Erza-sama." Such a lie, Erza had no freedom. "Besides, I think that you and the Prince would be a great couple, so this just helps that out as well."

"I don't possess such feelings towards him," Erza stated, but her statement seemed weak. While it's true that she enjoys the freedom that she has around him and she is completely comfortable, that really can't be taken as a feeling of romance can it?

"Well, maybe this stuff can change that!" Does Erza even want it to change? Coco opened the door, "Prince, you're allowed to come back in."

"Well then, ready to fight?"

"I would ask you the same thing." The red head possessed a smile, not a smirk, but a smile. Jellal was happy to see that she was enjoying herself, he could even feel a smile on his face as well.

"Well then, let's start."


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so sorry for the long wait. Thank you guys for supporting this story and I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I don't own Fairy Tail. **

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The week passed by wonderfully for both parties. Erza and Jellal were able to freely fight to their hearts' desires with no interruption from anyone. All the servants knew that Coco was attending to their needs, so there was no reason to enter the Prince's room, King Faust was too busy with matters of the kingdom to care about what his only son was doing, and Simon and General Knightwalker thought that it would be best to leave those two to themselves since if the Prince likes her, he has more potential to want to marry her. All the obstacles and problems were solved for the time being, so it's okay for them to relax.

"You're still not able to read the attacks from behind," she commented as she landed a hit on him from behind.

"And you're still lacking on hand-to-hand combat," he mentioned, swinging his leg so it made contact with her jaw. It didn't bruise but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. "We need to work on that more or else it'll be easy to be beaten." He would know what's best, he did fight his way out of several problems.

"Shut up," she demanded as she kicked him in his chest. Jellal fell down and Erza was smirking in happiness. How she loved to fight. How he loved it when she was happy. This rush wasn't something that they could get so easily.

"Now then, should we take a break or do you want to continue?" he asked, getting up.

"I could go get some refreshments," Coco offered cheerfully. "It'd be bad if you overdid it if you're not used to the stamina that's needed for these exercises. "

"I don't particularly care, "Erza stated. She could do whichever and be fine with it.

"Then I'll go get some snacks while you two continue your practice," Coco said. "Make sure you don't do anything too naughty prince," Coco advised before she went off towards the kitchen.

"Coco!" Aw, Jellal's all red. He really is innocence a good part of the time. It's only around Erza that he's actually different. "A-Anyways… What else should we practice on? There's still a lot more that we can do."

"Why does it bother you?" Erza asked bluntly. "Isn't it obvious that she's joking?" But Coco's not joking.

"Erza, this is just a complete guess on my part, but you've never fallen in love have you?"

"Love is pointless to me," she answered as she looked over all the weapons on the rack that was mounted on the wall. "Besides, my Father told me that the only thing that I had to do was marry someone suited for the family. It doesn't matter if I love that person or not as long as they are appropriate for the Knightwalker heritage."

"You really aren't a normal person you know that right?" Jellal asked running a hand through his slightly messy hair. What? Did he wish that she was a normal person? That philosophy of hers is practical yet unpractical; after all what the point in having a husband to begin with if one doesn't even love him? Yet what is the point of getting married only for love? The world is so simple but so complex. No wonder people get confused.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked with a glare.

As her grip on the sword tightened, Jellal yelled, "Wait a second, I didn't mean it like it was a bad thing! I meant that you're really different compared to most noblewomen that are your age."

"Well, _excuse me_," Erza scoffed. Wasn't that a compliment on his part? "I find it boring if I'm the same as everyone else. I am not them. Besides, you're not one to talk. You aren't exactly a normal prince either."

"Well, I never asked to be a prince." And she never asked to be a noble woman, but apparently she is one. Erza sighed and walked towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"Toilet, Prince," she answered bluntly. Erza left a Jellal who was hitting himself in the forehead wondering what the heck he did wrong. Erza felt angry, but there wasn't any reason for her to get angry, so that made her confused and even more frustrated. "Ergh! Why is that man so annoying?!"

See, humans are strange.

Erza almost forgot where she was walking, until she stumbled upon the hallway that was covered more in grim and not as well kept and worn as the other path. Perhaps she moved too far down to the right. Huh… No wonder he didn't want her down here, it was filthy. Unfortunately, just because something is dirty doesn't mean that she's going to stay away from it.

Cautiously, she reached for the doorknob, hoping that Jellal wouldn't find her snooping around in a place that she technically shouldn't be in. Erza opened the rusty door to see a room filled with paintings. She entered the room in awe. There were so many pictures of a single woman and that woman looked just like her. The only difference was that the painted person was smiling with a gentleness that she did not possess.

Erza closed the door behind her carefully, before observing the other pictures that were in front of her. When she stumbled upon a framed painting, she read aloud, "Erza Scarlet…" Erza looked up at the picture once again.

This Erza Scarlet, she was certainly older than her, by how much she couldn't tell, but in the pictures she looked around the same age as her. A gnawing feeling was arising in her stomach as though something was wrong. Of course, that's how someone would feel if they knew that someone else had their face, but that was not what concerned her. In one of the portraits, there was a man besides Erza, smiling alongside her. The man had blue hair and a distinguishing tattoo on his face… He looked like the prince

"Erza?" Erza turned around, she didn't even hear him enter the room. Strangely enough, he didn't look angry, just shocked. "What are you doing in here? Didn't I say that-"Now it was all clear, he was never interested in her, but who she looked like!

"Well, I'm sorry that I couldn't be like Scarlet who's probably more obedient than I am," she striked right back. He looked guilty, but with a hint of anger. Unfortunately, Erza had no desire to listen to him. Not this time. "I've got to go."

With quick steps, she exited the room to change back into her stuffy gown. She didn't know what was worse, the fact that she actually trusted him, or the fact that she thought he was any different from any other noble. Because that's what they normally want, someone to love, someone who was kind, someone who they could trust, and she was unqualified for all of that.

Her steps were loud and ungraceful, her dress was a mess from dressing in a hurry, and her scowl was worse than it normally was, but quite frankly she could care less about what she looked like. She just felt betrayed somehow.

"Erza! What are you doing?"

Erza turned around to see her brother with a shocked expression. "What?" Simon didn't answer her; instead he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, not answering her. "Simon, what are you doing? Put me down!"

"You aren't going anywhere like that!"

Like what?! So she looked at little messy what was- Then she saw it, the strand of crimson hair that was moving. She forgot the wig! Immeaditely, she recognized where she was going. "Simon, put me down this instant!"

"I don't need you to soil our family's reputation looking like that," he stated.

Erza's eyes widened slightly. How could she forget?

"Father! "

"What is the meaning of this?! Erza, why do you look like that?! "Before Erza could even open her mouth to explain, he slapped her across the face. "How dare you disobey me, you're going home immediately and you won't be let out of your room until you've learned how to behave! Simon, make sure that she doesn't think about escaping and inform the servants."

"Understood Father, I'll take her home immediately."

"Why? Why am I being punished because I look like Erza Scarlet?" Erza asked, causing her father and brother to stop in their movements. Her eyes were steady and unwavering like her soul. She wanted answers, she wanted to be told something and understand the meaning of the statement without merely accepting it as fact. "Tell me _Father_, exactly why do you treat me this way because of my appearance?"

"Erza, you-"

"If you wanted me to be different, you could have at least given me a different name instead of her name! If you hated her that much, then you should have hoped for a daughter who didn't look so much like her!" But it was her mother who gave her the name and it was Leila who was happy to see that her daughter had resembled her little sister so much. Technically, Rufus allowed his wife to do whatever she pleased with their second child.

He got angry once more and punched her this time. His eyes were glowing with anger. "Never mention that name again. Simon! Get her out of here!"

Simon grabbed her arm and practically dragged her towards a carriage, obeying his father's instructions. "You are reckless, Erza. You put our family's honor on the line and got Father angry-"

"Simon, just shut up. I don't want to hear it right now," she snapped. She needed to brood in silence for a bit and that meant having no one talk to her.

When thinking about it, they were right. Her duty was to become an honorable member to represent the Knightwalker family. She couldn't do anything else except that to show that she was of a noble line. She was already a burden on the family for not being able to find a husband at her age, but she wanted to be something more than that. Who was she kidding though? As long as she has this face and this name, she won't be free, she'll just be a bird inside of a cage.

Meanwhile, 3 travelers from the west were heading towards the Royal City, one of them being an ally of getting Erza and Jellal together. Faye asked the two, "Won't it be nice to return again?"

A familiar scarlet haired woman looked up ahead towards the path that she was never allowed to go back on. "I suppose it wouldn't be bad to see my brother-in-law again, even if he was the primary reason why I got banished in the first place. What do you think?" she asked the man on her side.

"Well…I'm not particularly looking forward to it." The scarlet haired woman looked at the man in slight confusion and wonderment. "After all, they hurt you 14 years ago and forbade you from ever seeing Leila again. They were being unfair; you couldn't even go to her funeral."

"I did want to see her once last time before she died, but I don't regret spending these 14 years with you," she reasoned with a soft smile that was returned to her.

Softly, he kissed her cheek and whispered, "I love you." She was always so tolerate and kind, but strong and fierce.

"As much as I love it when you two are in your romantic aura, please don't overdo it when we return to the Royal City or you might get killed on the spot. Or kill other people on the spot."


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you everyone for your support on the last chapter. I'm so sorry this is late, but I was a little caught up with some things. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter~ I don't own Fairy Tail.****  
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"Are you alright Erza?" Ultear asked, coming into the room to see her favorite cousin.

"I'm fine, I'm alive aren't I?" she answered. "And it's not like I haven't been eating properly." Erza's simply bored being up in her room all by herself. She was used to it before but now she couldn't even get out for an hour of hunting with all the guards that were out. "What's going on outside? Has my idiotic father decided on a husband for me yet?"

It wouldn't be surprising if he did. After discovering that she had shown her true hair color, he would attempt to counter this with forcing her to become more like a noblewoman and what better way than to get a respectable husband? The thing that she was supposed to find on her own.

"No, no word about that yet. I think that he's too busy ensuring the King that there are no more

'problems' within his family. But it's ridiculous since you two are different people no matter how much you two are alike."

Something occurred to Erza. "Ultear, do you know who Erza Scarlet is?"

"Yes, I know her well, but I have enough wit to know not to mention her anymore in this family," Ultear stated. "Which is why I've never mentioned her in front of you before. Do you want to know about Erza Scarlet?"

"What is she?"

"Have you ever heard of 'Titania', the Queen of Fairies of the country of Era?" Erza shook her head. "Erza Scarlet is a very strong person; she's a knight and one of the most famous people of a guild known as Fairy Tail."A knight? Was she not raised with the same restrictions that she had? "The Scarlet family allowed their younger daughter to do as she pleased since she was so proficient with a weapon. She was even better than Rufus Knightwalker."

"Is that why I wasn't allowed to go into swordplay? Because of some petty jealousy?"

"It's a shame that no one ever properly taught you, but if things work out right, you'll be able to."

"There's no merit in it for me," Erza stated quickly, shocking Ultear slightly. "I'm not allowed to fight no matter what I do, so what's the point in me learning it to begin with?" The most important thing to her is her duty to her family and her duty is to become a wife, a mother, a lady that the Knightwalker family is proud of, a lady that can be acknowledged. There is nothing else that she can do besides that.

"You plan on keeping some hideous façade for the rest of your life? It's not like you, Erza. I thought you wanted to prove yourself."

"Maybe you're mistakening me for someone else as well, Ultear. I wish I wasn't born with this face or with this name."

"You are only you, Erza and I have never thought of you as anyone else," Ultear stated. "No matter how similar you two are, Erza Knightwalker and Erza Scarlet are different people. A maid's going to come soon to bring up lunch. I think there's some strawberry cake for dessert. Make sure you eat everything." With that Ultear exited the room, leaving Erza to herself. Soon enough, a maid did come with lunch, but she quickly left.

Erza stared at the food, particularly the strawberry cake that seemed to be staring right back at her. "I'll believe that when I get my own rights."

It's ridiculous isn't it? That man takes it out on his daughter because he feels like he can never be free of that person. Even though that person did nothing wrong. Despite that, he wants to beat that person and he wants that person to obey what he has set out. Adults can be childish, can't they? A person can only be themselves and not anyone else. Why do others fail to see that?

A knock was heard on the window. Erza catiously walked towards it. What was it now? A thief or one of the guards who took pity on her? Either one would be terrible, but the person behind the window was someone worse. She opened the curtains to see Jellal.

The second she saw him, her lips turned into a frown and eyebrows knitted together, showing that she was frustrated. "Go away." Jellal had a pleading look, but Erza didn't budge. She turned around and he continued to tap lightly on the window. Erza refused to give in to the annoyance at first, but after a few minutes, she cracked. Slamming the door open, Erza asked, "What the heck are you doing? Someone will come if you keep doing that!"

"Really? I didn't know at all." He was smiling at her like he normally did. Did what happen the other day not affect him or something? "I think that people would notice more if you talked like that."

"Shut up. What are you doing here anyways? Just state your business and go. Or better yet go right now."

"Erza-"Erza twitched and pulled the curtains over so she didn't have to see him. "What did I do this time?"

"Just go away already. I don't want to be seen as a replacement for that person."

"Is that why you're acting like this?" Erza didn't answer. Jellal sighed, she could hear him ruffling his hair behind the curtain. "Erza, I don't know what kind of conclusion you got to, but I have no romantic feelings for Erza Scarlet. Moreover, isn't it a little weird if I was in love with someone who's like 14 years older than me?"

14 years? Then when was that painting made? Erza Scarlet looked around her own age and so did the man… Does that mean that it wasn't the Jellal that she knew? True she didn't know Jellal's exact age, but if that painting was made about 14 years ago then… it couldn't be him! "But you still haven't denied my other statement."

"Wouldn't it be better if you saw my face when I answer? To ensure that I don't lie to you?"

Erza stood in her place, debating inside her mind of what to do in a situation like this. It wasn't like her to be like this. To be hesitant and not know what move to make after the opponent has made their move. She turned to face the curtains. Why did that man make her so uncertain of things that she knows what to answer?

"Who goes there?!"

"Erza, I'm sorry." Erza's eyes widened when she heard those words. Never in her life has she heard an apology being made to her in such a tone. She forced the curtains open to see no one in her sight. Erza clutched her fist. Why did he make her feel so confused?! Someone who should mean nothing to her… Why can he control her the way that he does?

A guard came rushing through. "Erza-sama, please close your window immeaditely. Lord Knightwalker strictly said that you were not allowed to open it. Moreover I heard another voice coming from here, did someone come?"

"I was only getting a breath of fresh air, so don't you dare assume that I would escape" Erza stated. "I saw no one come here, now go back to your job or I'll have to inform my 'dearest' father of a slacking knight."

"Don't be so confident when you're of no use, Erza-sama. Everyone knows that the Lord has no love for you. He does not care about you." The guard's eyes were cold, it was incredibly obvious to Erza.

"Oh? And you assumed that I thought he does. How arrogant of you, no wonder you can't become a soldier and be free from this house. It seems like you're only going to be good enough as some guard who can't even serve this country." The man soon left in frustration and Erza closed her window.

She didn't understand; she could handle that man perfectly, she knew his weakpoints and how to use them to her advantage, but with the Prince, with Jellal, she doesn't do that at all. In front of him, she does not automatically spew out hateful words, she does not try to make him wither away in front of her, she does not try to make him submit to her, she cannot understand him. What was his point of being here today? Just to apologize?

"I don't get it."

Before she was worrying about Erza Scarlet and now she's worried about the Prince. How can these people upset her so much? She hasn't even met one of them yet too! Actually, would she ever meet her? What did this Scarlet even do to begin with? She was banished, but what was the reason for it?

"It was a beyond idiotic reason Father," Jellal stated mildly to the King. It was rare that the prince and the king were able to have a meal together, and whenever they did, he would always bring up the topic that Faust wished to forget. "You banished Erza Scarlet for a stupid reason."

"Do not question my actions. It was for the good of the kingdom that she was banished," Faust reclaimed with dignity.

"You imposed your will on her and she refused to comply with you, but that doesn't change the fact that she had the potential to be one of the best generals in the history of Edolas. You were going to plan my future-"

"Silence! After coming back from that place, I see that you still haven't matured. It is the ability to decide what to do with issues and handle them with the fastest method possible that will make a county prosper. How can you not understand that?"

"How could you drive out your own nephew from this country?" he asked with the same firmness and dignity. "The nephew that almost never went against you, the nephew who helped you when Mom died, why did you hate him too?"

"Both of them were factors that could have destroyed my rule, which would lead the country into imbalance."

"That may be true, or that may not be true. There are always enemies for a king and people who want to go against him." Jellal stood up, obviously done with his meal. "They loved each other, if you could see them now, you would be able to see how much they love each other. Like how you loved Mom." Before he was obsessed with the kingdom, Faust was a kind and generous man who would do what he could for others. How things have changed since he lost his heart… "And if you didn't want me to be so close to him, maybe you should have spent more time with me when I was younger and I wouldn't have run away."

They say that Jellal was studying aboard for years, but in reality, they had no idea where he was. Jellal ran away to find himself and to become stronger. He wanted to be able to be in a place where he could be free and himself.

Those two children are similar, they long for freedom. They want to be seen as themselves and only as themselves. It's unfair that they were both born with similar faces and similar names, but fate is not fair and can quite frankly be cruel. But what makes them different is that he has known the truth, while she has been left in the dark for all these years.

"Prince, there's someone calling for you," Coco announced with a phone on a tray. "I think it's Faye-san."

"So she's back already?" Jellal picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello Jel-chan," Faye greeted. "You sound well. We're probably going to be at the castle in a day or two so make sure that Erza-san is there. If everything works out, then you two will be able to come to Fiore with these two."

"That might be hard. Erza's locked up in her room and she doesn't want to see me. "

"Jel-chan, you messed up didn't you?"

"I don't know how I messed up, exactly," he commented with a huff.

"Just send a formal invitation and she'll be sure to come. No one would refuse an audience with Edolas' prince. Make sure to invite Rufus as well. I look forward to seeing their shocked faces."

"Shocked?"

"Ah, you're going to be shocked too Jel-chan. Because Jellal-san and Erza-chan have wonderful news to share. See you then."

Jellal heard a 'click' Faye was gone. "Wonderful?"

It looks like the captured birds are going to be set free. Or will two new birds add to the cage?


End file.
